Sewer construction.



PATENTED MAR. 24, 1908 A. J. GALVIN. SEWER GONSTRUOTION.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.12, 190e,

l/WENTUR WITNESSES.

UNITED STATES PATENrpFFIoE.

ARCHIE J. GALVIN, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

SEWER CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 24, 1908.

Application filed March 12, 1906. Serial No. 305,466.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Ancnin J. GALVIN, a citizen of the United States, resident of Cleveland, county of Cuyahoga, and State .ol?

Ohio, have. invented a new and useful I1nprovement in Sewer Construction, of which the following is a specification, the principle ofthe invention. being herein explained and the best mode in which I have contemplated applying that principle so as to distinguish it om other inventions.

My invention relates to the construction of conduits for sewer or other purposesout of reinforced concrete.

The object of the invention is to provide a form of concrete construction that is adapted for general use in the field indicated, that will permit of rapid erection, andv that will present the desirable characteristics of elliciency I and durability when erected.

To the accomplishment of thesehand related objects said invention consists of means hereinafter fully described and specifically set forth in the claims, The annexed. drawing and the following -description set forth in detail certain mechanism embodying. my invention, 'suchdisclosed means constituting, however, but one of various mechanical forms in which the principle of the inventioumay .be used.

In said annexed drawing :#Figure 1 represents in perspective a section'of a conduit or sewer embodying my improved form of construction, a portion of such' 'conduit having been broken away to bettershow the dtails-of this construction Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are respectivelya plan view, aside elevation, an

an end elevation of the block used to form the bottom of such conduit; Figs. 5, 6 and? are respectively a plan view, an end elevation, and'a side elevation of the block used to form the top of such conduit; and Figs. -8, 9 and 10 are respectively an end. elevation, a side elevation, and a plan view of the blocks desi nod to form the lateral por tions of the saif conduit.

.Heretofore in the application of reinforced concrete to the construction of sewers, the.

- concrete has in the main been made and epplied in the field, the resultihg structin'e being what is termed monolithic in character. As a consequence necessarily entailed by this manner of building, the rclnforcin r material has also had to be applied in the lie d. Such material for reasons Well understood by those familiar with the art, and hence not requiring elucidation here, has almost invariably been steel inone shape or another, the purpose of such reinforcing material, be ing to resist tension stresses, the concrete itself being particularl adapted to withstand compression but wit out coherence. The steel bars or rods which are ordinarily employed are'therefore designed to be embedded in those portionsof theconduit that are subjected to the rcatest 'tension, If not roperly positione they are absolutely use ess. Now it is evident that, under the con ditions that usually maintain in sewer building operations, the proper placing of such bars or rods is more easily calculated than actually secured. For not. only are the workmen usuall cramped for space, as in a ,tunnel or trenc but they are more often iinorant andcareless, and hence not even t e most ri id system of inspection can insure that a1 the Work will be done exactly right.

Lam aware that an attempt has been made to remedy. these conditions by using molded concrete blocks of a roper sha e to give the desired contour to t e arch o the conduit. Inthis case the reinforcing bars have been dispbsed in outwardly opening grooves formed 1n the contiguous faces of the blocks. Such bars. are designedto be mechanically held in the proper position in such grooves pending their being filled in with mortar and the settingof such mortar. Obviously this system is open to most of the objections enumerated': in connection with the monolithic" construction. Only by the exercise of great care can the proper placing of the bars be insured, and once 111. place, there is no Way of finding out how the work has been done except by tearing down the structure.

Furthermore, the adhesion between the molded blocks and concrete or mortar introduced into the grooves is apt to be poor and so the arch proper is often left Without any su iport' whatever.

u my improved s stem I propose to 0b viate these several ifiiculties in a manner that will presently ap ear. As is evident from an inspection of 1* 1 of'the drawing, I discard the familiar arched form of construction in favor of the retangular form.

' there shown; and while I do not propose to necessarily limit myself to such-rectangular form, I much prefer it, particularly for sewers or conduits of moderate dimensions.

The principle of construction. exemplified in such conduit, whatever'its form, is the use therein of separate molded blocksdesi nod to occupy specific positions in the comp eted structure and having embedded therein, in the processof making, the reinforcing material. This material I dispose in. each particular type of block in proper position to fort f such block against the strains to which it l be subjected. Thus I construct the'rectangular sewer illustrated. of blocks respectively designed in accordance with this prin: ciple to form thebottcm, sides, and top :ot

the sewer; The bottom blocks A'are of sub.

stantially the form shownin Figs. 2-, 3 and 4, i. c. of a general rectangular shape with a central longitudinal depression a and longitudinal rooves or recesses a. along its sides.-

Embed ed transversely in the block and near its upper surface are reinforcing members a in the form of steel bars or rods, pref= erably' having their ends bent downwardly for the purposeof anchorage.

The lateral blocks B Figs. 8, 9 and 10, are likewise of substantially rectangular form, and are designed to stand with their lower i ends registering in the recesses a in the sides of the blocks.-

of the bottom blocks A. Such side bloc-ks have einbedded in them reinforcing members.

1; similar to members a. These are however vertically disposed and lie near the innerfaces Thevertical edges of the blocksare furthermore beveled as plainly appears, in Fig. 10, whereby a triangular or .wedge-shaped s ace in" is I formed between contiguous .blo'e' cs. e blocks are preferably disposed so as to/bring this'spaeeon the inner. faceof the side Wall, Fig. 1. By virtue of this construction it is seen that the blocks may be positionedfirst and the mortar applied between them aiterwardswvit'h assurance that a good joint will be secured.

The mortar spacernay just as well be on the outside as inside except that ordinarily the T outside of, the wall would 'not be so readily blockssothat when inplace a wedge-shaped. mortar space c1sformed between -cont1gu-' one blocks and .on'the outside of the conduit, I 85- aecessible. No such mortar space is deemed necessary for blocks A for the reason thatthey lie solidly on the ground at the bottom of the 'ditch or tunnel and hence the mortar can-he. applied in the eiistomery manner. lhe top of the conduit is formed of blocks 1 0, Figs. 5, 6 and 7 These blocks are designedtobe placed. transversely of the conduit and are provided with longitudinal grooves or recesses :2 along their si similar-t9. recesses a in blocks A, designed to engage the upper ends of the lateral blocks B. .Eeirk forcing members 0 areembedded in .the

blocks in a transverse position andnear the block's under face.-

The transverse ed es'of' :these top blocks are given a, bevel s' or to that given" the gv'ertrcaledges of the side- Fig. 1.. i The edvantageof this spacein facili- "and distinctly claim is:

seaseo tat inithe perfect closure of the jointsbetween such locks is at once apparent.

As I make the blocks justdescribed in a plant or factory apart from the sewer buildmg, it is evident t lat much greater care can be exercised in the mixing of the concret.

and-particularly in the placing of the reinforcing rnaterial'; than is possible under the trying conditions'of field. Work. Inspection ofthe finished productmay be made in the way that other. structural materials are usually tested, 71. as samples chosen at haphazard aretaken and examined, and the entireflot judged thereby. For laying open sewers it isev dent-als'o that the rectangular form of construction illustrated is peculiarly 'well adapted; it. not only isimuch easier to erectthan'isthe arch form, the use of arch centering being' done away with, but proper tamping-o'f the earth about the walls is better insnredand by the system-of reinforcement used'th'e structure can be made to withstand all"'strains without waste of material; I

have already indicated, however, that my method. can be readily modified for the constructionof the circularof arched type of sewer by. simply changing the form of the blocks. The disposition of the reinforcing steel bars of course must be calculated for.

each' diflerent' form of block, regard being had to. its particular pleted structure and t e re ions 'of tension that will then exist. Thus t e bars, a, b and c inhlocksA, B and'D, respectively, are disposed in each case in the part of the block ositlon in the termthat under the load ,of superimposed earth will be under the greater tension.

Having thus described my invention in detail, that which Iuparticularly point out 1. Aconduit corn rising the combination hf blocks respective y adapted. to form, the

bottozrhsid'es and top of such conduit, the contiguous edges of said top and side blocks being beveled to forrn' mortar spaces, and said to and bottom blocks having recessed sides a apted to receive the to" and bottom edges respectively of said. side locks.

2. A conduit comprising the combination of bottom. blocks having a central longitubloclr's .eitte'd'. to the recessed sides of said bottom blocks and having 'liheir adjoining Ied es beveled to form mortar s 'a'ees on the recessed sides fitted to the 'upper ends ofsait inside of, the conduit, and top I) ocks havin lateraldaldcks' and having "their adjoining edges. beveled to form transverse grooves on thebutsidefof the -eon'duit. i r

A conduit comprising the combination of bottom -blocks having aeentral'long'itudlnal depression and recessed sides, lateral blocks fittedto' the. recessed I sides of .said. bottoni' 'hlocks and havingtheir adjoining edges beveled to form 'mortarspaces' on the dinal depression and recessed sides, lateral inside of the conduit, and top blocks having recessed sides fitted to the upper ends of said lateral blocks and having their adjoining edges beveled to form mortar spaces on the outside of the conduit, all of said blocks being formed of concrete and having tension members embedded therein in the process of making.

4-. A conduit comprising the combination of bottom blocks having a central longitudinal depression'and recessed side's, lateral blocks fitted to the recessed sides of said bottom blocks and having their adjoining edges beveled to form mortar s aces on the inside of the conduit, and top b ocks having recessed sides fitted to the up er ends of said lateral blocks and having t eir adjoining edges beveled to form mortar spaces 'on' the outside of the conduit, all of said blocks being formed of concrete. and having rein-3 forcing members embedded therein in :their respective regions of tension.

5. As an article of n an'ufacture, a substantially rectangular block for the side Wall ofa conduit or like structure, such block having its vertical edges beveled and being formed of concrete with reinforcing material vertically embedded therein near the surface designed to be turned inwardly.

6. As an article'of manufacture, a block for the top of a conduit. or similar structure, such block having its transverse edges beveled and its sides longitudinally recessed and being formed of concrete withreinforc-. ing material embedded therein 7: As an article of manufacture, a substantially rectan ular block for the top of a conduit or sirni ar structure; such block having its transverse edges beveled and its sides longitudinally recessed and being formed of concrete with reinforcing material transversely embedded therein near the blocks lower surface.

Signed by me,' this 9th day of March 1906. v ARCHIE J. GALVIN.

Attested by- D. T. DAVIES, Jzvo. F. OBERLIN. 

